Megan Oyster

Megan Leigh Oyster (born September 3, 1992) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League. She previously played for the Boston Breakers and Washington Spirit as well as the Newcastle Jets in Australia.

Megan Oyster
Oyster playing for UCLA Bruins in 2014
Personal information
Full name Megan Leigh Oyster
Date of birth (1992-09-03) September 3, 1992
Place of birth Naperville, Illinois, United States
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current team
 Houston Dash
Number 11
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 UCLA Bruins
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011 Chicago Red Stars
2015–2016 Washington Spirit 38 (1)
2015–2017 → Newcastle Jets (loan) 24 (2)
2017 Boston Breakers 23 (0)
2018–2019 Reign FC 41 (1)
2020– Houston Dash 0 (0)
National team‡
2008 United States U17
2011 United States U20
2017– United States 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of March 25, 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of April 9, 2017

Early life

Raised in Naperville, Illinois, Oyster attended Neuqua Valley High School where she led the soccer to team to a 24–0 record and first place national ranking.[1][2] A four-time all-state selection and 2010 Parade All-American, Oyster was ranked as the number 21 recruit in the country and first in Illinois by Top Drawer Soccer.[1] In 2010, she was named All-American by ESPN RISE. The following year, she was named Gatorade State Player of the Year in Illinois.[1]

Oyster played club soccer for Windy City Pride from 1998 to 2011 and was a member of the regional Olympic Development Program (ODP) for five years.[1] Before joining UCLA in 2011, Oyster played briefly for the Chicago Red Stars in the Women's Premier Soccer League.[3]

Collegiate career

UCLA Bruins, 2011–2014

Oyster attended UCLA where she played for the Bruins from 2011 to 2014.[1] In 2013, she helped lead the Bruins to win the NCAA College Cup for the first time.[4] She received All-Tournament honors and served the assist to the game-winning goal during the championship final against the Florida State Seminoles.[1][5][6] As a senior in 2014, Oyster helped lead defensive line that recorded a 0.245 goals against average (GAA) and set school records for shut-outs (19) and allowing only six goals.[1] The same year, she was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week and earned conference All-Academic honorable mention honors for the second consecutive season.[1]

Club career

Washington Spirit, 2015–2016

Oyster was selected by the Washington Spirit as the thirteenth pick in the 2015 NWSL College Draft.[7] During the 2015 season, she started in all 20 matches for the team and scored one goal primarily playing in the defender position.[8] Oyster was the first player in Spirit history to play every minute of a single season.[9] The Spirit finished fourth during the regular season with a 8–6–6 record to advance to the playoffs.[10] The team was defeated 3–0 by Reign FC during the semifinal.[11] Oyster was named the 2015 Washington Spirit Defender of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.[9] In 2016, she started 15 matches for the Spirit as the team qualified to the NWSL Championship for the first time in club history.[9]

Newcastle Jets, 2015–17

On October 8, 2015, Oyster joined Australian W-League club Newcastle Jets on loan for the 2015–16 season and rejoined for the 2016–17 season.[12]

Boston Breakers, 2016–17

On November 17, 2016, it was announced that Oyster was acquired by the Boston Breakers in exchange for Breakers Kristie Mewis and Kassey Kallman, as well as an exchange in a few draft picks in the 2017 draft, and distribution ranking orders.[13]

Reign FC, 2018–2019

On January 30, 2018 she was selected by Reign FC as the third pick in the Breakers Dispersal Draft.[14]

Houston Dash, 2020–present

On February 3, 2020, Houston Dash acquired Oyster, Shea Groom, and a conditional draft pick from Reign FC in exchange for Sofia Huerta and Amber Brooks.[15]

International career

Oyster has represented the United States at the under-16, under-18 and under-20 national team levels.[1] She received her first call-up to the USWNT in March 2017 for a pair of friendlies against Russia.[16] She appeared in both games as a substitute.[17]

See also

References
  1. "Megan Oyster". UCLA. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  2. Le Cren, Matt (July 21, 2015). "Megan Oyster and Washington Spirit to face Chicago Red Stars in NWSL". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  3. "Chicago Red Stars Bring In Nasenbenny, Oyster". boxscorenews.com. June 24, 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  4. "UCLA wins its first NCAA women's soccer title". Los Angeles Times. December 8, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  5. "UCLA Wins NCAA Soccer Title in OT". ESPN. December 9, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  6. "5 Burning Questions for the NCAA Women's Soccer Season". ESPN. August 21, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  7. Yeo, Aubrey (January 21, 2015). "Bruins dominate 2015 NWSL draft with school-leading 6 picks". UCLA. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  8. "Megan Oyster". Soccer Way. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  9. "Megan Oyster — Washington Spirit".
  10. Goff, Steven (September 10, 2015). "NWSL playoff preview: Ali Krieger to miss Washington Spirit match at Seattle". Washington Post. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  11. Pentz, Matt (September 13, 2015). "Seattle Reign shuts out Washington Spirit, 3–0, in NWSL semifinal". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  12. "Dydasco, Oyster, and Raso Loaned to Australian Teams". Washington Spirit. October 8, 2015.
  13. "Breakers acquire defender Megan Oyster, draft picks from Washington – Boston Breakers". Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  14. "Reign FC select four former Breakers in dispersal draft". Sounder At Heart. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  15. "SOFIA HUERTA AND AMBER BROOKS ACQUIRED IN TRADE WITH DASH". Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  16. "Oyster and Lavelle called up to USWNT before Russia friendlies". March 23, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  17. "M.Oyster". April 12, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
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